Few would argue that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift is good for the NFL’s bottom line.
Because of Swift’s popularity, throngs of her fans have an avid new interest in the NFL, tuning into Chiefs games – especially the ones that Swift attends in person – and driving up the league’s ratings and attendance numbers.
And while most seem to be OK with the extra attention Swift has brought to the league, a recent player survey conducted by The Athletic revealed there is a small contingency of players whose feathers were ruffled by Swift and the media circus she’s brought to the NFL.
“I feel like she is getting unnecessary coverage,” one anonymous player stated. “There was the whole NFL opening season video on Twitter and she was featured five times and our quarterback was featured none. That’s not even right. She is not the NFL.”
“It’s bringing more attention to the game, but I feel like they’ve been using her face,” a second anonymous player added. “If she’s at a game, they probably show her like six, seven times. People get … sick of it if they keep doing it over and over again. So I think they’ve got to find a balance.”
Of the 102 responses given to The Athletic, 74 of the players polled (72.5%) believe that Swift has had a positive effect on the NFL.
Twenty-three of the players polled (22.5%) felt indifferent while five (4.9%) believe that Swift is having a negative impact on the league.
Good or bad, there’s no question that Swift’s presence at games is shining a bigger light on the NFL. The league, as well as Kelce and the Chiefs, regularly trend on social media when Swift is in the crowd, and Chiefs games draw higher ratings for games she attends.